A Field of Wildflowers  Discontinued
by Nonezumi
Summary: Nakahara Ayaka: new arrival to the 13th Division. Nakahara Ayame: transfer student in Karakua Town. One catches the eye of a Quincy, and the other a certain captain. UryuuxOC, ZarakixOC. May contain blood and gore, sexual content, and strong language.
1. 1: Raise Your Eyes

Hello, reader!

I am so happy that you decided to take a peek at my first fanfiction! This will be several chapters long, as I plan on writing it parallel to the anime. In other words, this story takes place at the same time of each episode, sometimes in-between. This means that some parts will be my own novelization of the anime; however, things will be changed around to accommodate the inclusion of my characters. This way, it is a complete fanfiction and not a novelization.

Extended Summary:  
>Nakahara Ayaka: new arrival to the 13th Division. After joining the 13th Division and working out in the field, she finds she has a special gift that many of her ranking rarely ever receive. Nakahara Ayame: transfer student in Karakua Town. She grew up with only her grandparents for family. All that is left of the rest of her family is a special piece of jewelry. Both have a connection that neither knew about until an event brings them together.<p>

This fanfiction is rated M because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. That does not mean, however, that every chapter contains any of that content.

Bleach © Tite Kubo  
>Nakahara Ayaka, Nakahara Ayame © Nonezumi<p>

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><p>When the wind blew through the spring trees and the cicada chirped without care under the warm sun, she found herself looking up at the blue sky. The light blue that emanated calmness had white fluffy clouds that floated casually down to the horizon and beyond. Her dark brown hair with maroon highlights, clipped up and behind her head to not disturb her vision, shined in the light of the day. She held a small group of strands of her hair and tied the tail off with a bright blue band. This small part of her hair was left untouched to grow longer when she had the rest of it cut short. The tail dropped naturally to the left side of her face after she let go off it. The young lady looked back up at the trees to admire how they branches and leaves swayed.<p>

"Today will be perfect!" Her voice was soft but full of positive energy. If anything should happen to contradict what she exclaimed to herself, she would be depressed and retreat into a silent stupor. All of those years in Shinō Academy had better not been for nothing; she slaved over her work to do the best she could. The wind picked up, and her attention was drawn to a falling leaf.

Sandals scratched against the ground behind her. A tall shadow cast over her body and stretched two feet in front of her. "Don't fall asleep, Nakahara Ayaka," said a man's voice from above.

The young woman turned to the right in her sitting position to get a better view of the other student. She did not need to see his face to know who he was, because she recognized his voice and the shadow. His short, side-swept spiked hair and purple irises were the first things she looked at after turning. Ayaka smiled and greeted him, "Koji-kun, so nice to see you!" She stood up to face him better.

"Have you thought of what division you want to apply for yet?" Koji turned around, silently inviting Ayaka to accompany him to the graduation ceremony.

She caught on to his gesture and started walking. "Not yet. I'm thinking of starting with the 13th." The 13th Division of the Gotei 13 seemed to be one of the most welcoming divisions. Ayaka had heard about how much of a family-like atmosphere there was in it. Surely, with her high averages and dedication, she would be guaranteed acceptance.

"Really?" Koji paused when he adjusted his oval glasses. "I'm leaning toward the 12th myself. Whatever division you decide on, Ayaka-chan, I am sure you'll get in!"

"You, too!" She nodded in approval. Whatever Koji wanted to achieve, she knew he would accomplish it. Ayaka was not very different.

The rest of the time heading to the ceremony was spent reminiscing about their time before the academy. Ayaka was only four years old when Koji found her on the streets of District 60 of Rukongai. At the time, he appeared to be seven. When he found her, he could only wonder how she ended up there crying in a dirty jinbei. Koji had helped her to walk back to his place of residence after calming her down with treats. Once at home, his mother - all three of them had died in a house fire - quickly got to work and acted as a mother to Ayaka since day one of her arrival. Koji and his father left to let the older woman take care of the child. While they were gone, Ayaka was bathed and given a clean outfit. Her hair at the time was short and unruly like a pixie's. Not liking this, Koji's mother tied a bow in her hair to distract others from the wild hair. Ayaka and Koji became as close as a brother and sister could. They went hunting for bugs together, helped their parents around the house, told each other stories, and sometimes shared a bed when one felt lonely.

Ayaka was the first to spot the other students. The small group of friends she had made during classes was made up of a short girl with round glasses, a pencil-thin boy who could easily pass off as a thirty-something man, and a young man with green fox eyes. They were one of the odder groups of friends that bonded in the academy. Koji told Ayaka to have fun before leaving her for his own group of friends. She waved him off with a big smile, and then turned to greet her friends. In several minutes, they would be graduates and start applying to divisions. Ayaka, looking like a bright and energetic teenaged woman, chattered away happily until the ceremony started and the crowd of students hushed.

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><p>Thank you, Gaia798 for suggesting an author's note for my chapters!<br>I apologise for the one above being rather long.

In the next chapter, Nakahara Ayame will be introduced.  
>The third chapter will be the start of the real story.<p> 


	2. 2: Keep the Light

Hello, reader!

Here is the second chapter! I hope it is as good as the first one. My goal is to come out with at least one chapter a day until the story is finished. Some chapters may be short and others really long – it all depends on how my day was before I started writing. If any reader has noticed, there was a minute change to the title. It read as "A Field of Wilflowers" before, but I have corrected my spelling error. That is all. On top of the fanfiction, I am knitting my very first scarf! This project and school work might hold me back from uploading and sharing my daily goal. Do not worry, because I have in no way abandoned this story!

Constructive critiques and cheerful compliments are appreciated!

On to introducing the second OC of mine, Nakahara Ayame!  
>Also, the Hollow in the flashback should be imagined like No Face from <em>Spirited Away<em> when he has gotten fat and chases Chihiro through the bathhouse. I try to create my own Hollow with inspiration from various things including animals and the elements.

_This fanfiction is rated M because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language._

Bleach and its characters, world © Tite Kubo  
>All of the inserted, non-canon characters are © Nonezumi, me<p>

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><p>"Ayame! Aren't you coming?" an elderly man, dressed in a white simple white kimono with a navy hakama tied just above his waistline, called over to girl of high school age. His wrinkles weighed down his eyebrows, making it look like his eyes were permanently closed. The old man could see just fine despite being over seventy. Glasses were not needed to see the slender form of his granddaughter in a knee-length blue skirt and a white shirt. He watched her and waited patiently for her to reply; he knew it would be a while before she realized he had called to her from six feet away. Her attention was drawn to the right of their path. She seemed to gaze through the solid structures separating them from the streets on the other side. Even the loose strands of her hair did not disturb her concentration.<p>

When the moment of silence passed, Ayame blinked and let out a small breath. The instant she became aware of her grandfather's staring eyes, she blushed and turned to face him. With bags of vegetables in her hands, she could not properly give him a wave to show she was okay. A small bow and smile would have to do. Her clean white sneakers made no sound when she rushed back to her grandfather's side. "I'm sorry, ojiisan!"

"Hurry up, Ayame. Your gran'ma doesn't like cooking a late dinner," he said with a grin, and started walking toward their home with Ayame at his side.

"Sumimasen, ojiisan!" She apologized again out of guilt, but knew it was not necessary. Ayame hummed as they continued walking. Her attention went to the sky, and the bags she held swayed in front of her. Whatever it was that caught her attention back there left an odd lingering feeling. It was not something new to her; she was prone to staring into space when an odd feeling came over her. Similar to a sixth sense, Ayame would sometimes notice how unaffected others were by the feeling. This sixth sense could not be explained by her grandparents, but they knew she was prone to the episodes of silence ever since her family died. Ayame felt a chill when she saw a white cloud against the orange-red sky take on a shape terrifyingly familiar.

When Ayame was younger, a year from graduating kindergarten, a monster had threatened her family. She remembered being awoken by her mother and carried outside in a rush. After being put inside the family car across the street, her mother ran back inside. A loud roar came from nowhere, and then she saw the smoke of debris explode from the back of the house. Another loud roar resonated from nowhere. Ayame began to cry because she was scared. She was left alone in the car, and did not think to open the door; she was too occupied with fear for the lives of her loved ones. With her hands pressed to the glass and eyes filling with tears, she screamed as loud as she could. Through her cries, she heard her father's voice. She had never heard him sound so scary. His shouting was briefly drowned out by a screech. The structure of the house was weakened by something. Ayame blinked to clear her vision. The black form of what she could only call a monster, rose from the smoke. She saw it wearing a white mask disproportionally tiny in comparison to its large body. The mask, oval with a single dropping whisker from either side of the jowl and a toothy scowl, scared her more than anything. A large hole was positioned to the left of its right shoulder, and she could see the smoke and night and trees on the other side.

What she remembered as a dark viscous fluid flowed from the top of its head. Ayame closed her eyes, banged on the glass of the car door window, and cried out for a full minute. She heard a shrill scream. After that, she opened her eyes. The monster was gone, but the smoke had not settled yet. She waited, sobbing with boogers starting to drip form her nose, for her parents. They did not return. For all of her crying and banging, she did not see them again. Ayame cried until she passed out. When she woke up, she saw her grandmother standing over her in a hospital room.

Ever since that night, she has lived with her mother's parents. As the only living relatives left - her father's parents were unknown to her - they raised her with as much love and care as possible for people their age. She was raised to be attentive and respectful. The outfits she wore were strictly feminine (no pants), and her grandmother taught her how to cook and perform a tea ceremony. About a year ago, they moved to Karakura Town; however, she did not attend public school until recently. She proved to be excelling at literature and English, but had a problem with mathematics.

Grandfather opened the front door and walked in before Ayame. She pretended to have a hard time holding up the bags into the kitchen. Once they rested on the counter, she sighed. Her grandmother, standing shorter than Ayame because of a slight hump, walked up to her and teased, "Don't be going of to relax just yet, Ayame-chan." The old woman chuckled. "Someone needs to help me with dinner, and your grandfather burns everything." Ayame looked over at her grandfather on the couch, and grinned with sad eyes when she saw him put his pinky in an ear and pull out earwax. He flicked it away before watching his shows on the small television.

Ayame took out a leek, walked it over to the cutting board, and then began slicing it into bite-sized pieces. As she did this, her grandmother prepared everything else for the night's cooking. Rice, vegetables, strips of beef, and varieties of sauces and spices. Grandmother made some warm sake for grandfather before starting to cook the beef. Ayame started humming again. She sliced the rest of the vegetables with a smile. Tonight had gone well, but she wished it would pass by quicker. Tomorrow would be her first day of school at Karakura High.

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><p>This ends the second chapter of the story!<p>

Constructive critiques and cheerful compliments are wanted!

In the next chapter: Ayame's first day of school and a first encounter with a Shinigami!  
>I know in the English dubsub they are called Soul Reapers, but I am going to call them  
>Shinigami because that's what they're called in the Japanese version of the anime.<p> 


	3. 3: A New Day

**Author's Note:**

I apologise for not updating for a little while. I have been coming across some difficulties in life.

Anyways, this chapter should cover the first day of school for my OC, Nakahara Ayame. The way I write this follows the anime version of the Bleach universe. So, if it will help you picture certain things in this chapter, this chapter follows a part of episode 4. Some dialogue will be familiar, but I will do my best to not put them word-for-word because I don't want to get into trouble.

_This fanfiction is rated M because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language._

Bleach © Tite Kubo  
>All of the inserted, non-canon characters are © me<p>

* * *

><p>"Ayame-chan, don't forget your lunch!"<p>

"Oh!" Ayame was on her way out of the house before her grandmother stopped her. There was something she felt she was missing. The homemade bento was wrapped up in a red, white, and yellow flower-print fabric. She took it from the elderly woman, and then gave her a hug. "Thank you, sobo-san!" After slipping into her black Mary Janes, she ran out to the sidewalk. Her grandmother followed her to the gate entrance. "I'm off." She spoke in a cheerful, soft voice, and bowed. Her black shoulder bag slipped a little, brushing some of the pleats of her grey skirt. It would take her a little while to get used to a uniform. The first years of her time in school was rather casual, but then again she rarely went to school after she turned ten. Grandfather and grandmother Nakahara could not afford to send her to school after some time had passed since she started living with them. No matter what, however, she did her best to get good grades when she was in school. While not in school, Ayame was taught how to do several different things by her grandparents. She knew how to cook, sew, clean an entire house in one day, do the laundry, take care of a garden, and other domestic chores. Her grandfather did take the time to teach her how to defend herself should she ever be threatened or harmed. The elderly couple did everything they could to raise her well.

Ayame, walking away from the house, turned to wave good-bye with a big grin.

Grandmother Nakahara smiled and waved back. "Have a good day!"

"I will!"

She could not think of anything that could ruin her day. Her dark brown hair was held back and up by a clip, except for a small portion she had tied at the end with a yellow band. It swayed comfortably to the left of her face. The morning sun warmed her up as it peaked over the tops of buildings. Light from the star made her hair shine a dark red in some spots. Ayame's face became blank the further she got from her house. Not that she was not happy. It actually hurt to smile too much. The dark purple of her irises glistened when she turned a corner and the sunlight swarmed to her face. She avoided looking at the light source by turning her head down. Her attention went straight for the red bow with a gold clip holding onto the neck of her white shirt. The red of the bow gave colour to the grey uniform of Karakura High School. Four strips of red placed smartly on the shirt tied in the red of the bow with the rest of the uniform. Despite wearing a white button-up long-sleeved shirt underneath, Ayame did not feel hot beneath the sun. Her white knee-high socks lit up in the light. They were not bright enough to blind her, but it did irritate her eyes to look at them. A shadow snaked toward her down the sidewalk and blocked out the light shining on her socks.

Looking up, she saw a tree. Ayame got a little nervous. The tree marked that she was close to the school. Anxiety that she had been able to manage started to break from the mental box she had put around it. Her grandfather had sat down and talked with her about how to act in high school, what to expect from others there, and what to do for her first day. At the time, it all seemed very easy. She was full of a positive, hyper anxiety then; making her lunch last night after dinner was how she expressed this. Now, it was a pessimistic anxiety. She thought, _What will people think of me? Will I make any friends? Where do I sit for lunch? And with whom?_

Ayame left one hand on the strap of her bag, and brought the other one to hold onto a charm hanging by a silver chain around her neck. The Pisan cross, pure silver and able to fit in a square inch, was given to her from her grandparents. She remembered they gave it to her three years after her family died. _It is special_, they had said. Ever since receiving it, she had worn it. Back then, however, it was meant to be worn as a bracelet; she was given permission to put it on a new chain and wear it as a necklace. Ayame remembered, faintly, that it belonged to one of her parents. She sighed and closed her eyes in defeat to a mood swing of depression. Then, she hit something cold and hard with her forehead. The force pushed her back a step, but instead of falling backward she forced herself to dropped to her knees.

"Itai!" she moaned as she rubbed her forehead with both hands.

"Uhm, are you okay?" a high, feminine voice asked from above.

"Ano..." Ayame looked up. The girl standing to the side of the metal pole tilted her head to the side. She had burnt orange hair with two blue snowflake clips and brown irises. Her hair colour interested Ayame. The girl repeated her question in different words. "Ano..." Ayame's pain subsided the longer she stared at the girl's hair. "H-h-hai!" She stood up, and then dusted herself off.

"You've got a red mark on your forehead now," the girl pointed out.

Realising she had been staring, she blinked and shook her head before reacting. "Ah, uhm," Ayame paused to pick up her bag and put it properly over her head so the strap rested on her left shoulder and the bag itself sat against her right hip, "it's okay." She put a hand to the red spot as if to try to cover it up. It felt like the orange-haired girl was staring at her. Sure enough when Ayame glanced over to her left, the orange-haired girl was following her toward the school and looking at her curiously.

"You go to Karakura High?"

"I do," she answered, "I transferred, and this's my first day."

"Hontou?" The orange-haired girl grinned. Everything about her seemed to be happy-go-lucky. "I'm Inoue Orihime!"

"Nn... I'm Nakahara Ayame."

"If you're in the same class with me, don't hesitate to sit with me at lunch, okay?" Her smile was pretty much glued on.

Ayame nodded and grinned. "Okay."

* * *

><p>"Ohayou gozaimasu! My name is Nakahara Ayame. Douzo yoroshiku." She bowed to the class sitting in front of her. After introducing herself, the teacher gave her a seat to sit in. Before she got into her seat, the first lesson of the day started. Ayame placed her bag on the ground next to her desk before sitting down. Once she got in her seat, she pulled out the current lesson's book, a notebook, and a pen. She buried herself deep enough into the lesson to forget about the worries of being new.<p>

Lunch time came around, and she put away her things. With the free time during lunch, a couple of students approached her and introduced themselves. She did not know that it was that easy to meet new people. Ayame looked around once she was alone. She stood up from her chair and grabbed her bento. She watched Inoue - the only one she knew by name at this point in time - leave the classroom with one of the girls she was introduced to when lunch started. Ayame forgot to ask the orange-haired girl if she could join them for lunch. Watching Inoue leave, she felt forgotten despite it being her own fault for forgetting to ask. After Inoue left, a second orange-haired kid walked in. He looked tough; someone Ayame did not feel like befriending. As soon as he came in, he left with a girl whose hairstyle made her head look like a rounded diamond. Ayame decided to brave a walk around the school before eating her lunch. She followed the orange-haired kid and his companion to the roof. Something inside of Ayame tugged at her, and she felt a little rebellious going to the roof. After she reached the roof, she walked to the opposite side of the roof. She could watch the others as they talked on the other side. Soon enough, a third student came up. She heard the orange-haired kid call this one Mizuiro. Ayame did her best to not look up from her food, but she did steal a glance every once in a while. The girl looked like she was having a hard time with her juice cup. Ayame inhaled, and then set her lunch aside. She decided to try to talk a little longer with her classmates - to make friends. And what better time than during lunch?

"Ano... I can help you with that," she said once she was close enough to the group of three.

"Oh, thank you!" the girl exclaimed.

Ayame took the juice box from her and prepared it for drinking. She took the straw out of its plastic wrapping.

Mizuiro smiled and said, "You must be Nakahara, right?"

"Hai," Ayame said, and then poked the straw through a small hole at the top of the box. "Here you go!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Sorry I haven't introduced myself yet." Ayame smiled.

"Oh, that's right, I haven't either, to you two," the black-haired kid said. "I'm Kojima Mizuiro, age 15, and I really like -"

"Picking up girls," interrupted the kid with orange hair.

"Huh?" Mizuiro jumped back a little, seemingly shocked the other would say that. "Ighigo, that's mean!"

Ichigo continued talking, and Ayame smiled. "He may look like a dork, but he's a big flirt."

"Cut it out, Ichigo! Don't go around ruining my reputation."

"Like I said, Rukia," Ichigo directed to the girl Ayame had helped, "don't fall for his act."

Before anything else was said, a cloud of dust appeared, then disappeared, and in its place stood a kid with brown hair. "What is this? The two beautiful new transfer students are here with you guys?" When he practically lunged forward, Ayame stepped away a bit. She blushed, but already found this one annoying. "What are you doing here? How did this happen?"

"Well," Mizuiro answered, "Ichigo brought Rukia here. Ayame just came up by herself."

In a flash, there was a weird exchange Ayame witnessed between this new guy and Ichigo. After giving him the thumbs up, this kid stepped back and saluted the girls. "Greetings! I'm Asano Keigo!" Ayame stopped blushing, and noticed he was crying. "Hello lovely ladies, and welcome to this garden of manliness."

Rukia looked a little unsure about how to react, but managed a hello. Ayame echoed the reply with an equal amount of uncertainty.

Suddenly, Keigo threew his hands up in the air and jumped from left to right, exclaiming an cheering on about having a party on the roof. Ichigo tried to psych him out by asking him how there could be a party with only noodles and juice, but Keigo just told him to shut up and that all that counted was the spirit of a party. Keigo offered his services to Rukia should she ever need them. Ayame allowed herself to be amused by Keigo's energetic nature. She was smiling and giggling behind her hand while the others pretty much shouted to each other. Then, a tall figure caught her attention. She was the first to notice him. Keigo was in the middle of talking when he backed up into the tall, broad-shouldered student. Ayame tried not to stare for too long in awe of this guy's size.

Ichigo greeted him, "Hey, Chad."

Everyone learned why he was bandaged. He stringed together a story about a steel beam falling on his head, a motorcycle collision, and carrying the injured motorcyclist to the hospital. Ayame noticed a bird cage he carried. Inside was perched a white parakeet with red cheeks. She stared at the bird as its cage was placed on the ground. Suddenly, it spoke in a childish voice: "Konnichiwa, I am Shibata Yuuichi. Onii-chan namae wa?"

Ayame was completely and utterly shocked by this. Sure it was common for some birds to learn to say one or two words, but this one introduced itself as if it were human. She noticed that she was not the only one shocked by this. Rukia and Ichigo had the same look of surprise on their faces. Mizuiro and Keigo, on the other hand, appeared okay with it. Ayame quickly excused herself, picked up her lunch, and rushed back to the classroom. She held her Pisan cross in one hand as she ran down the hall. Her shoulder crashed into somebody, making her stop momentarily. "Ah! Sumimasen!" Ayame looked at who she bumped into.

Staring down at hercoldly was Ishida Uryuu. She recognised him from her class. He did not introduce himself, but she learned of his name from a girl in class. That girl had given her a quick face-and-name-match style of introductions without actually meeting the person. She was pointed to the back of Ishida's head. Ayame recognised his hairstyle, and she instantly remembered his name. "Sumimasen," she repeated and put both hands below her waist to bow in apology. Her Pisan cross reflected the afternoon sunlight breaking in through the open windows. Before Ayame made a bigger fool of herself, she turned around and walked away. Walking away was safer than running. Besides, she had the feeling that Ishida was staring at her as she walked away. A chill crawled up her spine. The feeling did not over-shadow the feeling she had after meeting the talking parakeet.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

My apologies for making this so long! I just wanted to make up for the days I did not update. ^_^;;

So, I know I said this would be of both my characters, but that turned out too long. I had to split them into separate chapters. They WILL, at one point SOON, be in one chapter together. I just hate writing chapters with singular points of views. So, I will find a way to have both of them in one chapter SOON.

Next chapter will only be Nakahara Ayaka.


	4. 4: Peon Work

**Author's Note: **

I apologise for not updating for a little while. I have been coming across some difficulties in life.

This was part of the last chapter, but I felt that the two points of view made the chapter too long

This chapter will cover Nakahara Ayaka's point of view while in the Soul Society; there are no episodes her part follows yet.

_This fanfiction is rated M because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language._

Bleach © Tite Kubo  
>All of the inserted, non-canon characters are © me<p>

* * *

><p>"Ehhh, Hayate-kun!" Ayaka whimpered a bit as she carried a mountain of filed papers down a street of the Seireitei. Beside her walked a taller man in an identical wardrobe. His grey-blue hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, hanging past his waist. In his arms was a significantly smaller amount of papers. "Why are there so many forms?"<p>

Hayate chuckled and his green eyes glanced over to Ayaka and her large pile. "I told you I'd lend a hand if you needed help. Believe me, you need it."

Ayaka snapped her load away from Hayate before he could grab some. "And I said I could handle it!" Suddenly, she found herself tripping forward. She landed face-down, arms spread, and papers flying everywhere. Her nose and chest hurt from the fall, but it was only her nose that she rubbed as she pushed herself up. "I-itai~!"

"Here, let me help," Hayate took her momentary pause to tend a wound as an advantage to take half of her papers.

"Stop it!" Ayaka stood up, and stomped a foot. "I don't want any help!" She got back down on her knees and hurried to grab more papers than Hayate. Before she finished, she slowed down and sighed. "I'm just tired of doing these errands." Her violet eyes glistened when she added: "I want to be out on the field, fighting Hollows!" Her mood went back to calm and reserved. "But I'm stuck here doing this crap."

"You have to work your way to bigger assignments, Ayaka-chan," Hayate informed her.

She sighed. "I know." Ayaka retired her fight against her orders to deliver the papers. For now, there were no missions for a Shinigami of her level to do. Her wakizashi zanpakutou - two, one tied to either side of her waist - bounced slightly against her hips as she walked. Their light blue samegawa (the wrapping around the handle) matched the band holding some of her hair to the left of her face. The tsuba of both, four-leaved clover-shaped, glittered in the sunlight. Ayaka could feel their weight, despite them being a lighter weapon than a katana. "Eh!" Her face lit up and she started to run when she caught sight of Koji. "Koji-kun~!" The young man smiled and waved to her from his spot. "I've got some stuff for you! Ahh!" Ayaka tripped again, but fell into Koji instead of to the ground. He caught her by the elbows, and the papers managed to stay in place.

"You have to be careful, Nakahara-san," he said.

"I'm sorry!" She got off of Koji and handed him the papers. "Ukitake-taichou wanted to hand these over to the 12th Division! Reports and stuff that might be helpful!"

Koji grinned. "Thank you."

There was an odd pause before anything happened next. The three of them just stood outside, listening to the wind. Ayaka broke the silence, however. "Ano... I'll be on my way back, then!" She turned, waved good-bye to Hayate and Koji, and then started running back to her division headquarters. Though she should have delivered the papers herself, she did not want to. The 12th Division gave her the creeps. She had all the love and respect for Koji as a sister and comrade, but she questioned his reasons for joining that division. When she was far enough away, she slowed to a walk and hung her head. "I'm tired of being an errand-runner," she moped. A rumbling sound and manly cries caught her attention. Heading toward her was a large beige cloud. She spotted someone with a mustache and scared-for-his-life expression at the front, and behind him was a bob of pink hair. Immediately, she called out, "Yachiru-fukutaichou!" Her hand waved high in the air as she stood in place, trying to get the lieutenant's attention.

The small lieutenant paused her giggling and chasing of the poor man to glance toward who called her. "Aya-chan~!" she gasped and diverged her path. Yachiru was closer than originally thought, which meant the one she chased was able to stop and rest a foot away from the two girls. "Aya-chan! Want to play with us? We're playing tag!" With Yachiru holding on to Ayame's pants with a big grin and giggling innocently, Ayaka found herself giggling and grinning nervously and glancing over at the other 11th Division member. He looked like he was about to pass out. "We can play something else?" Ayaka asked with genuine sincerity, aware of Yachiru's nature. The small lieutenant happily agreed to the game change, though. It would be hide-and-seek now. Ayaka was the first to go seek the hiders. Aramake Makizou was the first to be found, and easiest. He vigorously thanked Ayaka for finding him first, and then bolted away to move his ass as far away from Yachiru as he could.

"Ya-chi-ru~"

Ayaka wanted any kind of excuse to get out of peon work. If the lieutenant of 11th Division wanted to play with her, Ayaka knew that her 13th Division captain would not be too hard to persuade to say it was fine. She used this as a chance to travel to the 11th Division Barracks.

"Ya-chi-ru~"

If she did not chant the lieutenant's name too often, the other Shinigami would come up and question her reasons for being there. Ayaka could feel Yachiru suppressing her reiatsu for the sake of the game, but it did not help. Yachiru was found hiding behind a potted plant in the courtyard. "Found you, Yachiru-chan!"

"Yay~!"

A looming monster cast a shadow over the two of them before a deep voice said, "What's going on here? Why is a 13th Division kid here?"

Yachiru's face lit up brighter than a firework show when she saw the 11th Division captain Zaraki Kenpachi. She leaped from her spot behind the plant, used Ayaka's shoulder as a stepping stone, and attached herself to Zaraki. The second she made contact, she squirmed until she was on his back an dlooking over his shoulder. "Ken-chan! Aya-chan and I were playing hide-and-seek!" Ayaka took a deep breath and turned around to face the captain. She did not want to show any fear, of course. Her fear was actually mistaken quite frequently when Zaraki was around. She had seen a lot of Shinigami who did not rank as captain or lieutenant shake or stare when Zaraki was around. Ayaka had a lot of respect for the 11th Division captain and lieutenant, and envied those who were members of the division. She managed a smile and nodded her head. "Playing around!"

"Is that so?" He gave a disapproving frown as he stared down at Ayaka's small figure.

"Hey, Ken-chan. Want to join us? It's my turn to seek because Ayaka-chan found me!" She tugged a little at his robes and gave him big eyes. "It's no fun with only two people!"

Zaraki's shoulders relaxed, he dropped his head slightly, and sighed. "I guess I'll do it."

"Hurray~!" Yachiru exclaimed.

"But," Zaraki stopped her cheering short, "we're going to add a twist to it." His mouth curled into a sinister grin.

Ayaka felt something crack inside, and felt a bit of fear seep through.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

My apologies for making this so long! I just wanted to make up for the days I did not update. ^_^;;

Next chapter will only be Nakahara Ayame.

As much as I despise writing alternating point of views in separate chapters (like, chapter one is A and chapter two is B, repeating that pattern), I will have to do that for now.


	5. 5: No Nerves

**Author's Note: **

_This fanfiction is rated M because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language._

Bleach © Tite Kubo  
>All of the inserted, non-canon characters are © me<p>

* * *

><p>What was it that drove Ayaka to hide as soon as possible and as far away from the 11th Division as possible? It could have been fear. The beating of her heart pounded in her ears. She concealed her reiatsu as best as she could, but it seemed like anyone could hear her loud heart jumping in her chest. As time went by in her hiding place, Ayaka became more relaxed. Her rump sat firmly on the ground between two barrels outside the 4th Division's barracks. From where she sat, she could gaze at the blue sky. She was not given enough time to gaze long enough. A Jigokuchou approached her with a message. Ayaka stood up and ran out from her hiding place immediately.<p>

She ran down a wide barren alley in hopes of getting back to her division quickly. The Hell Butterfly floated before her, guiding her back though she knew her way around. Deep down inside, she started to regret running away from her game of hide-and-seek. But she was given her first mission in Gense, the Human World. This was something she did not want to miss.

It was happenstance that on her way back, Zaraki found her. He jumped from a roof top and landed directly in her path. His zanpakutou in one hand and the blade resting precariously on one shoulder, his stance gave him the look of a proud fighter. She took a step back and made a small noise in surprise.

"Zaraki-taichou, I have to get back to the 13th," she informed as the jigokuchou floated by the captain's head.

He smiled, showing off all his teeth, and looked intimidating. His size alone made her uneasy, but not scared. When he released his reiatsu, she got scared. "But that's not part of the game," he taunted. Ayaka clenched her teeth. She braced herself for the next move.

"Yay~ Ken-chan~!" Yachiru cheered from above.

Ayaka glanced up to see Yachiru sitting on a roof three feet above her. Just what Ayaka wanted: an audience. This was not going well. She did not want to turn down the invitation to a fight, but right now she had something important to do. If she ran away right now, Zaraki would tease and taunt her every time they would see each other. The pressure of his reiatsu began to weigh her down. She was almost gasping for air the heavier it got.

"Seriously, Zaraki-taichou! Ukitake-taichou has requested my audience!"

"The deal was that if I found you, we'd fight. Now come on and draw your weapon."

As he tapped his zanpakutou on his shoulder, Ayaka spread her legs into a defensive stance and slowly brought her right hand to the wakizashi to her left. Damn it, Zaraki! Her eyebrows quivered from the pressure she was under. No matter how long she would draw the silence, the 11th Division captain would wait until she made her move. The second she put a hand on the hilt of her zanpakutou, the captain made a flash step toward her. In an instant, his blade clashed with the scabbard of her left wakizashi. As he pushed down, Ayaka groaned. The force of his reiatsu was enough, but his strength made it harder.

"You're not gonna use your zanpakutou?" he asked, believing it was a joke.

Ayaka, the wakizashi held at both ends by her hands, bent her knees and spread her feet wider apart. "I don't want to have to repeat myself!" She pushed upward and out. This did little to damage Zaraki. That was not what she planned, however. With as much power as she could use without wasting too much, Ayaka pushed. Zaraki made one step back, but attacked again. She resorted to using the scabbard as a defense again.

"Stop being a wuss and fight me!" he shouted.

This was going to be hard from the start. Why did she agree to play one more game? And with Zaraki thrown into the mix? Sweat beaded on the back of her neck, and a drop fell from her forehead and down her cheek. She was concentrating on what to do next, when there was a crack. The crack came from the contact point of the constant-release zanpakutou and the scabbard. Ayaka gasped. Without thinking, she duplicated her earlier move. This time, she managed to follow through with a jump and flash-step backward.

"Another time, taichou, but I have things I need to take care of!"

Ayaka moved quick enough to avoid further contact with Zaraki's zanpakutou. She was able to leave the area. Instead of going back to the ground, she stayed on the roofs just to make sure she would avoid any surprises.

"Ken-chan, you let her leave," Yachiru popped up behind his shoulder and looked in the direction the female shinigami had gone. She pouted and shouted in his ear, "WHY?" Zaraki turned around and walked away, his sword on the shoulder opposite Yachiru. "I was hoping it'd be good," she added in a quieter voice. He said nothing as he walked. Next thing to do was head back to his headquarters. The first turn he made led to a dead end.

It was hard not to feel aggravated. Not solely at Zaraki's persistence to fight, but that she chose the lesser of two evils. Ayaka wanted more than anything to see Gense. She wanted more than anything to see Zaraki's power; not firsthand exactly. There was no choice for her in the end. If her captain – the third seats actually sent the message, but Zaraki did not need to know that – assigned her to a mission, she would have to go on that mission. It struck her that that was the reason Zaraki did not chase after her or push the fight any harder. He knew that work came before play even if a person did not like the work. Ayaka sighed and felt stupid for not thinking that before. She just yelled at him and ran away. Like a child. An angry and scared child. There was no turning back time. Only moving forward. Next time, she thought, next time I won't leave the fight.

When she was on the ground and at the barracks of the 13th Division, she found Hayate standing outside the main entrance. "Hey! What are –" Hayate grabbed her arm and used his zanpakutou to open a Senkaimon. A Jigokuchou guided them through the gate. "Hey! Hey! Wait!" Ayaka was uncomfortable being pulled by one arm by Hayate.

Two smiling faces greeted them once they left the gate and stepped onto Gense soil. The first thing she noticed was not the place she was in, but the people she was with. She did not know the guy with long blond hair pulled back into a thick braid. He stood with a stout build and vain posture, and his brown eyes reflected his dull nature. The 4th seat of 13th Division stood to that man's right. His slender figure had a more graceful posture, his trimmed black hair and dark blue eyes told Ayaka he was more serious than the other. "You're late," the 4th seat said.

"G-gomennsai," she stuttered when Hayate let go of her.

The seated officer continued, "Okay, for you two it is your first time in the Human World. Tonight, you will encounter a Hollow and defeat it. There's a possibility you'll be able to perform a konsou. First, let's go find the Hollow that's been hanging around and see how you two handle it." The blond one chortled and said it would be a breeze.

Once they were out of the park and in the city, Ayaka finally remembered she was in the Human World now. She was behind Hayate and the seated officer as they used shunpo to reach the Hollow. The excitement influenced her to speed up, and she was in front of Hayate in an instant. This is great! She thought with a smile. Even as they got closer to the Hollow, Ayaka was still excited to be out on the field instead of running errands.

A roar confirmed that they had found the Hollow. The roar was not the only thing, however, because some buildings had been clawed into and windows were broken. Ayaka looked down at the ground and saw a light post was knocked over, too.

"The two of you go in first," said the 4th seat.

The blond accepted this, saying, "We'll jump right in if you need help."

Hayate was quick to move to ground level and catch the Hollow's attention. Ayaka followed him. Her smile was gone – replaced by a more serious look, but she was nervous and worried. What if I do the wrong thing and get Hayate killed? Or me? There were no mortals around, because they had all been scared away by a menace they could not see. Hayate had already gone into combat with the Hollow. The monster opened his mouth and lashed out a long tongue. Both shinigami dodged it. In their place was a small crater. Ayaka grabbed the hilts of her wakizashi, and unsheathed them. Hayate was twelve feet away and had his own zanpakutou ready. He looked over to her and nodded. Her eyes widened, not exactly understanding what he was nodding about. Then, she watched him jump forward and take a slash at the Hollow. It blocked his attack with his arm, but the blade of the zanpakutou dug into its arm. The Hollow jerked his arm away from him, dislodging Hayate and the zanpakutou. Ayaka became the target almost immediately. She did not know that she had been breathing heavily already. Her wide eyes made the Hollow chuckle as it approached her.

Ayaka told herself to take a deep breath and calm down. She should not be overreacting in front of the low-level Hollow. After a deep breath, she looked at the Hollow with more confidence. With two wakizashi in her hands, she rushed forward. Right in front of her was the Hollow. It roared again and pulled back an arm. That arm came forward and down toward Ayaka. Reflexively, she put her wakizashi together and pointed them at the hand coming to her. The blades pierced the Hollow's hand straight through, but her position made her vulnerable. A bloodied giant hand wrapped around her and lifted her up.

"Ayaka-chan!" Hayate was back up and raced to help her. He used his katana to slice the Hollow's arm off at the elbow. The Hollow screamed when its limb was hacked off. Its hand opened because there was no more muscle communication with its body. Ayaka removed her blades from the hand, and took advantage of an opening by using the opened hand as a step to jump forward. With one strong swipe of her right hand, her wakizashi cut into the mask of the Hollow. Its cries continued until it disappeared.

"Ayaka-chan, are you all right?" Hayate ran up to her, the other two not far behind.

She was visibly shaking at the knees and breathing shallow. Her eyes, wide as they could get, stared down at the ground. "I-I'm.. I… I'm okay. Okay," she said uneasily.

"Congratulations," the blond one said before slapping her on the back. The force of his strike and her unprepared state made Ayaka jump a foot forward.

The seated officer nodded. "You both did well. Sloppy and you need better teamwork, but you did it without needing my help."

Hayate looked at the thinner of the two. "Where are we?"

"Just outside Karakura Town," he answered. "Tokyo, Japan. We can head over to Karakura now. They seem to have a few souls for konso every now and then."

Ayaka regained her composure, but was still feeling the high and shakes of the adrenaline rush and fear. She was sure that that was an idiot move and would not have lived if Hayate had not dismembered the Hollow. She did not know what to think when they were allowed to split up. Her heart was still pounding in her head. A phone was given to her, and she was instructed to contact the higher officer if there was trouble. The gadget fit inside her left sleeve. Hayate wished her luck and told her not to be worried about anything. Even with a warm smile from him, she was on-edge.

"I could have handled that differently," she mumbled as she walked down the street. "Should have done better." Ayaka sighed and put her hands in her pockets. A small blip from her phone alerted her of a nearby soul. She took the gadget out, flipped it open, and then started to run toward the blinking dot. The soul looked like a little boy in modern clothes. Protruding from his chest was a broken chain. She met him at the corner of the four-way street. "Hello," she greeted him as kindly as she could.

The little boy gasped and looked up. He instantly smiled and gave her a hug. "You're fast!"

"Excuse me?"

"And you change quickly!" The boy took a step back to take in her appearance. "Are those swords?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "I came here to help you get to the Soul Society."

"Soul Society?" He cutely tilted his head to one side.

"Yeah. It's kind of like Heaven." Ayaka took one of her wakizashi out. "I don't know how else to put it. Just imagine somewhere really nice, and you'll be there." She looked down at the boy. He was smiling stupidly up at her. It was hard to admit it was not cute; he was being cute.

"Will I see you again, nee-san?"

Ayaka nodded. "We'll see each other there." She tapped him on the forehead with the flat end of her hilt. A stamp was left, and a light surrounded him. The soul disappeared. In its place was a Hell Butterfly which flew away to get to the Soul Society. Ayaka sighed and put her wakizashi away. She looked up, and had a stunned expression slapped on her face.

In front of her, a few steps away, was a mirror-image of herself. The mortal looked exactly like her with lighter eyes, but she was in civilian clothing. Her look-a-like stared right at her with the same expression. Can… she see me? Ayaka was a little worried about what might happen. She had no idea what to do if a mortal saw her. It meant they were more attuned to the Spirit World – she knew that – but did she just have to continue on as if nothing happened?

"Who are you?" the other asked. In her navy skirt, white blouse, and brown shoes with white socks, she looked cutely plain. Everything about her except her clothes were the same as Ayaka's. Her hair style: a small tassle of hair tied to the left, the rest of the brown maroon-highlighted hair pinned back and up. Her eyes: purple – actually, she noted that they were more violet than purple. The voice had a similar ring, even.

For no reason, Ayaka tensed up and shouted an answer: "None of your business!" She used shunpo to make a quick getaway. Whoever that girl was, she freaked Ayaka out. All she wanted to do was find the others and go back to the Soul Society. When she found Hayate, her mind was flooded so much with questions about the other girl that she did not notice Hayate trying to strike up a conversation. Ayaka barely made a proper gesture of good night to her fellow shinigami when they got back home. As she lied in her bed and started to drift off to sleep, Ayaka could faintly smell smoke.


	6. 6: Resurrection Lily, Pt 1

**Author's Note: **

There are bits of episodes 11, 12, 14 in this chapter and the next. Enjoy~!

_This fanfiction is rated M because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language._

Bleach and its characters © Tite Kubo  
>All of the inserted, non-canon characters are © me<p>

* * *

><p>There was doubt in her mind about what she saw last night. A reflection of herself in a black outfit wielding two swords had stared at her. She remembered how her heart pounded. Cold sweat dropped down the back of her neck. Faint voices and giggling came to her attention. Someone saying her name – their voice drifted in and out of hearing range. "Ayame-san?" Her world snapped back into view. As soon as she found out three girls were crowding her desk, she realized what happened. Ayame apologized for zoning out.<p>

"Is everything all right?" the middle girl asked.

"Y-yeah," Ayame answered with a smile.

"Are you sure?" said the one on the right.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ayame replied. "I'm just a little tired."

The middle one grinned. "You must have been studying hard."

Ayame nodded. "Uhm, excuse me." She stood up and left her desk. Though she was back in the present day, she could not shake her feelings. The girls let her leave without a fuss. They showed that they worried for their new friend. Ayame would not let them comfort her. This was not something they could understand. She walked down the hall. Walking toward her was Ishida Uryuu. The air about him was serious and distant. There was rarely any reason to talk to him. All she knew about him was that they were in the same class, he was number one in the class for grades, and that he was a demon with a thread and needle. Ayame held her breath as he passed by her. He never blinked.

Then, "Nakahara-san," Ishida said.

She turned to face him, but he still had his back to her. "H-hai?"

"I would like to speak with you after class."

"Hai," Ayame responded.

Ishida left her alone in the hall. A cold spot was left where he had stopped to address her. She started wondering more about what he wanted to say to her than what she saw last night. Ayame found a drink machine, and paid for a can of coffee. After opening it and taking a sip, she went back to the classroom. She was left alone when she returned. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, visually. Something did not feel right. A minute after Ayame was back in her seat with her coffee, she felt a bolt of energy. It was a negative kind of energy. Ayame looked around the classroom, wondering if anyone else felt it. No one seemed to show any response to the energy. She asked herself if she was the only one who sensed it. Her sight fell on Ishida's back. He stood at the window, looking down at whatever could be on the ground outside. There was no telling what he was looking at, but she did not want to walk up to see. That would show that she had been staring at him. What if she did that and he thought she was stalking him or was interested? Ayame felt her skin crawl up her spine. Ishida turned away from the window, and she looked away. Trying to look like she had not been staring, Ayame started copying notes from an open book on her desk. She glanced up as he passed the front desks and left the room.

"Where is he going?"

Ayame gasped quietly when one girl from before appeared at her side.

"I have no idea, Ren-san," said a second. Ayame turned her head to see a girl standing to her other side.

"Hey, Nakahara," said the one called Ren, "do you like Ishida? You were staring at him, weren't you?" She winked at Ayame, who gave a lop-sided nervous smile.

"Seriously? Ishida?" The second girl sat on the desk behind her, not caring whose it was. "He's really cool, but his attitude is a big turn-off."

"Aw, but I kind of like it," said Ren.

Ayame did not want to say anything. She figured that if she denied it, Ren would tease her and say Ayame was lying. "What? N-no, not at all." She looked back down at her book with a blush on her cheeks. It would not be smart to tell them that Ishida wanted to talk to her after class. Just then, she realized he left the class. Did he forget about seeing her after class? School was not over yet, but their free time was ending soon. Where did he go off to?

Ren smiled. "If you don't like him, why were you staring at him? You must feel something for him." She seemed to love pushing Ayame.

"No! It's… I was just wondering what he was staring at," Ayame answered.

"Oh, yeah. Maybe it was Kurosaki and the others he was looking at," Ren said. "They got sent to the principal's office didn't they? I heard it was because they were on TV."

"TV?" Ayame knew what they were talking about, but she never really watched the television in her grandparents' house.

"Yeah," the other girl chimed in. "That one show: Ghost Bust."

"Ren, Izumo!" The two beside Ayame said good-bye before joining two other girls across the room.

* * *

><p>Everyone started walking out of the class. Ayame tried concentrating on the energy she had sensed before. When the girls were near her and talking, she still felt it. Even when they were gone, it was still there. Suddenly, it was no longer there. She was confused. The energy just vanished. It was gone in the blink of an eye. She waited for a few minutes to see if it would come back. More students left the classroom. Every time the door opened, the voices of others talking leaked into the room from the hallway. When she was the last one in the room, Ayame retired her attempt to try to sense the negative energy. New energy signatures came to her attention just as she was about to give up. Three of them were out in the hall. Two were similar, but a third was different. The odd one was moving toward the classroom and the other signatures that stood right outside the door. Then, out of the blue, another negative energy signature appeared. Ayame opened the door and saw students grouped around a poster on the wall to one side, and Ishida coming up from down the hall on the other end. His signature was the different one. The two that were similar came from inside the group of students. She pin-pointed them on Kurosaki and Kuchiki. Kuchiki looked rather flustered and in a rush when she grabbed Kurosaki. The two of them ran down the hallway and passed Ishida. Ishida looked unfazed when Kurosaki bumped him in the shoulder.<p>

"It's time to talk," he said to Ayame when he came up to her in the door.

Izumo, Ren, and some girls watched and whispered behind their hands to each other as Ayame followed Ishida out. She ignored the whispering and stares. It would not be easy to avoid the girls' teasing about her feelings for Ishida after this. Ayame clutched the strap of her bag as she walked behind Ishida. The silence between them was stuffy. Only the sound of their shoes hitting pavement made sound. They were a couple of blocks away from the school campus now. Ishida stopped before the steps of a walkway leading to houses. She did not notice he was not walking until she bumped into his back.

He turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. The cold look scared Ayame, and she stepped back to put space between them. "Tell me, where did you get that pendant?"

"Huh?" She blinked, and then looked down at the cross hanging around her neck. "This?" Ayame put a hand to her chest with her fingertips facing the symbol. "It was a gift."

"You don't know anything about it, do you?" Ishida turned around. He crossed his arms and looked down at her. His serious expression did not change. "I sense spirit energy from it. And you, but yours is not the same."

"Spirit… energy?"

"Yes, spirit energy. You can sense it too, can't you." His last words sounded more like a statement than a question. "I'm surprised that you know nothing." He did not look surprised. "That cross around your neck is a Quincy's cross. Since you obviously don't know anything, you don't deserve to wear it."

Ayame tensed up. She had no idea what he was talking about. Quincy? What was that? The pendant she wore was only a gift. She admitted to herself that she could feel a power coming from it, but she was so used to it for so long that she easily overlooked it. "What are you talking about? " Ayame put one foot back and clenched her hands into fists. Her face expressed uncertainty of what was going to happen. The negative energy signature still tugged on her mind. "I'm not going to get rid of it. When I got it, I made a promise to take care of it."

He did not seem to care about what she had to say. Ayame could not tell if he was angry or not. "Do you at least understand what it means to carry that?" As they stood there, the sky started turning colour. She did not understand. The cross, as her grandparents had mentioned once before, had been in her family since before she was born. They, however, knew only what they were told by their step-son – Ayame's father. Ayame was told that she would know its importance at the right time.

She looked down at his shoes and grasped the cross in her hand. "I may not understand what it stands for, but I do know that it was important to my father." Ayame put her eyes back on him and showed that she was finally getting agitated. "I don't care if it's a… a Quincy's cross or not. I don't care what you say! Whether or not I deserve it, I'm not getting rid of it."

"Let me see it," he demanded.

Ayame clenched her teeth and scowled at him.

Ishida's expression was no longer serious, but he was not smiling. "I'm not going to run away with it." Ayame hesitated, but consented. She reached both of her hands behind her neck, unclasped the chain, and then handed it to him. He walked up to her then took it. At the same time, he took her right wrist in his hand. Her expression relaxed in surprise. His grasp was gentler than his attitude. The silver chain was clasped around her wrist, but had to be looped once more around because it was too big to be worn as it was. "Continue keeping your promise," he said when he was done, "but make sure you understand the responsibility that comes with it."

This was new to her. Ayame's skin flushed where Ishida held her wrist. His hands were warm, but she forgot that when she looked back up. He was staring at her with a blank expression. She looked straight into his blue eyes. They appeared to be taking in all they could about her. It could be said he was analyzing her, thinking things over in his head. As soon as he took hold of her wrist, he let go, and then walked away. Ayame's face blushed as she watched him leave. _What just happened?_ That was all she could think. She lifted her right arm to look straight at the cross hanging from the chain looped around her wrist. The silver metal glistened in the sun's light. Cicadas began chirping in the heat. Then the hyperactive sound of a cell phone broke nature's song. Ayame took out her phone from her bag with her right hand, the two golden bells hanging from the charm holder ringing as they moved, flipped it open, and then put it to her ear.

"Moshi moshi," she greeted the caller.

"AYAME!" She flinched and jerked the phone from her ear. "Where are you? Your grandmother and I are concerned that you haven't come home yet! You know you're supposed to be home early tonight!" Ayame let out a small gasp, and then put the phone back to her ear.

"I'm sorry! I'm on my way right now!" She turned and ran toward her granparents' house.

"You better get back here or I'll –"

Her grandmother took the phone from grandfather before he said anything more. "Ayame, dear, you don't have to worry about being late. I'm sure you have a good reason. See you soon." A click from the speaker meant the other line ended the call. She closed the cell phone, and then put it back in her bag.

Ayame continued down the way. She was surprised to see Kurosaki Ichigo going in the opposite direction. "Hey," she smiled and waved to him, "Ichi… go." He looked determined about something. _Does it have anything to do with Ishida?_ She wondered. Forgetting about following through to see what he was up to, Ayame continued to run. The school came into view. She stopped outside the campus and looked up to the sky. "I've got a bad feeling," she said under her breath. A couple of things that looked like black rifts opened against the blue sky. She started to feel several spirit energies at once. Most of them were not friendly. _What is that?_ There was one black rift above the school, and it bothered her. The sound of rumbling thunder and glass shattering scared her.

"What are you doing just standing there?"

An echo of her own voice shook her out of her terror. A brush of sharp wind flipped a corner of her skirt up. Blood splattered beside her on the ground from behind, and a short cry of pain spooked her. She turned around, honestly scared about what was behind her but letting the curiosity get the better of her. Ayame's eyes grew wide and she gasped. The image she saw the night before appeared again. Two wakizashi were drawn, and a serious expression dawned on the other girl's face.

"Wha-who are you?" Ayame was flabbergasted.

Her mirror image rested both wakizashi on her shoulders. "I could ask the same of you, but right now this city's in danger."

"You mean those tears in the sky?" Ayame asked.

"Not just those, but the Hollows, too."

"Hollows?"

"The creatures with masks. Like the one that almost attacked you from behind. They go after anyone with high levels of spirit energy."

_They must be the source of the negative energy I've been sensing_, Ayame thought, ignoring the fact that she did not know what a Hollow looked like. She gasped, and then exclaimed, "My grandparents! They might be in trouble!"

"Your grandparents? Hey! Wait!"

Ayame ran away before more time passed. She was worried about her grandmother and grandfather. Both of them had some experience with spiritual practices, but she was not sure if they could sense or see the same things she saw. Even if they were not in trouble, Ayame wanted to make sure they were okay. She wanted to see them die from old age, not from being crushed or killed by anything. Not like what she witnessed happening to her family when she was young. A flashback to the event came to her. Then, she knew what a Hollow looked like. That monster that murdered her family was a Hollow.

"You can't just go off on your own!" The blade-weilding girl ran up to her from behind. She caught up and took a spot beside her. "You have nothing to protect you or your grandparents. Blindly running to them could put them in more danger than they could already be in!" Ayame knew she was right. But what else could she do? Both of them ran for another minute before taking a left turn. In the middle of the street was a Hollow. "Get back!" Ayame skidded to a stop, and then ran to hide behind the girl. Then, she watched as the girl fought off the Hollow. It looked effortless how she dodged two attacks in a row, and then chopped off one of its fingers. Suddenly, the girl was smacked into a solid wall. A crater was left from the impact and the girl emerged. The Hollow roared before reaching for the injured one with his good hand. A blade sliced his hand off from the wrist. The girl stood up with one weapon in her hand instead of two. Her wakizashi had been combined, joined at the ends, to form a double-bladed sword about five feet long with a foot-long light-blue handle between the curved blades. It looked like an elongated S. The girl switched the blade to her other hand, then jumped forward, and then struck at the Hollow from an angle. This blow was final, making the Hollow disappear.

Ayame looked on in awe and horror. "If you care about your family so much, we better hurry," she was told. A quick nod and dash past the damaged wall showed that Ayame understood. She felt safer with this girl around after watching what she did. Ayame glanced to the weapon. It was still one object. Her curiosity was not welcome at this time. To ignore any other objective on her mind, Ayame concentrated on getting home as soon as possible.


	7. 7: Resurrection Lily, Pt 2

**Author's Note:**

This follows bits of episode 14 of the anime.

Remember that reviews, comments, and constructive critiques are very much appreciated!

_This fanfiction is rated M because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language._

Bleach and its characters © Tite Kubo  
>All of the inserted, non-canon characters are © me<p>

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><p><em>"There is a sudden influx of Hollows in Gense," informed the leader of the patrol group Ayaka became a part of not just this morning. "We have been ordered to find the source of abnormal activity and report back what find. I want everyone to split into groups of two once we reach the Human World." He started putting names together in pairs. Ayaka and Hayate were paired up and assigned to Karakura Town. They left the Soul Society and made a safe journey to the Human World.<em>

_Hayate looked to Ayake and said, "Take that side, and I'll take this side." He pointed one way and then the other. His partner nodded then used shunpo to start the patrol as soon as possible. There were so many incoming Hollows that her phone was going haywire with constant beeping. Ten minutes into her search, she faced a Hollow. It was easily disposed of with one wakizashi. She looked up after the brief fight and saw rifts in the sky._

_"What is going on?" she mumbled. This was not good. The Hollows were being attracted to or forced into the Human World for some reason. Five or six Hollows were what were reported on a good day, but this was pretty much a terrible day. More Hollows were appearing than she could ever remember hearing about before. "I wonder if Hayate-sama is holding up," she thought as she met another Hollow, this one bigger than the last._

_Spirit energy she vaguely remembered caught her attention. It felt like the one from last night. From that girl. Ayaka turned down one street and came across a small Hollow that prowled the girl she had sensed. The girl just stood there, staring off into space. Or could she see the openings in the sky? Before the Hollow could make an easy meal of her, Ayaka came to the rescue. "What are you doing just standing there?" Her heart skipped a beat when she came face-to-face with herself once again. Quickly, she regained her cool._

After two more Hollow encounters, Ayaka finished escorting the other girl. She stayed behind and watched her step up to the door. It opened to an elderly man whom the school girl bowed to. His eyes looked over her shoulders and landed on Ayaka. Their piercing gaze frightened her. A shiver ran up her arms, and the hair stood up on the back of her head. The silent meeting did not last long because the door was closed and they were inside. Ayaka frown and gritted her teeth. Something bothered her about that old man. She turned on her heels, and then started for a group of energies not far from the house.

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><p>"Sumimasen, ojii-san," Ayame said quietly when she bowed to him outside the door. He did not say anything in return. There was a short, tense silence before she stepped inside. Before she had a chance to talk to him, the elderly man left for another room. "Obaa-san," she called to the old woman. Her grandmother shuffled out from the family room. The look on her face showed that she could only assume what her husband of six decades was doing. Ayame took her shoes off and left them at the door, and then walked to the family room after her grandmother. She set her school bag down on one of the couch cushions and groaned. "Obaa, I came home as soon as I could, but weird things happened," was her way of apologizing.<p>

Her grandmother smiled up to Ayame. "It's fine, dear. Your grandfather was just over-reacting. Oh, what happened to your necklace?"

Ayame blinked, and then looked down. She put her right hand up to her neck. The cross hit her chest; she had forgotten that Ishida moved it to her wrist. "I… felt like keeping it on my wrist now." A door closing hard spooked her. She turned around to see her grandfather walking toward her. In his hands was an envelope. No words were exchanged when he handed her the envelope. Ayame was nervous about what was inside. Something fell out and landed on the floor, but she did not notice. She took out and unfolded a letter handwritten in black ink on paper that was like new. As Ayame read the letter, her expression changed from worry and nervousness to confusion and scare. What was written did not make sense. She threw the letter down and ran for the front door. "Ayame, wait!" Her grandmother stood up and reached out a hand to catch her by the arm. The old woman was stopped by her husband who only lifted a hand to interrupt her. In under a minute, Ayame had her shoes on and was out the door.

"Don't just let her go!"

Ayame's grandfather picked up the photograph. A happily painted picture of a family of four was smiling up at him. "There's nothing we can do," he said quietly. "We knew that someday she'd have to read the message." He put the letter and the photograph back into the envelope with a long sigh. "Our part in her life has come to an end, and we have done more than was asked of us."

Ayame ran as fast as she could, tracking the spirit energy of the person who protected her from the Hollows. She looked up in horror to find a hole in the sky opening up. An ugly thing poked its head out. _That's one big Hollow_, was all she could think.

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><p>Ayaka looked up as she ran. That must be where they started coming from, she thought. Hollows gathered around a giant crack splitting the sky open. A large concentration of them centered in a park around the corner. She jumped over railing separating the sidewalk and the green grass of the park in order to waste no time turning corners. Just as a Menos Grande emerged from the black rift. She recognized Kuchiki Rukia though she was in civilian clothing. "Rukia!" she called. The more practiced shinigami turned around to see who was shouting her name.<p>

"Nazahara! What are you doing here?"

Once she caught up to Kuchiki, Urahara stepped into the scene. Rukia exchanged words with him, and then fell to her knees. She could only see it as a bakudō. Not wanting to be paralyzed like Kuchiki, Ayaka stood back and just watched. There was not much she could do without back-up. Urahara, however, made it clear that the battle was necessary for the two she sensed closer to the Menos.

A new energy signature came to her attention. The school girl had followed her after they parted ways at her gandparents' house. "What are you doing here? This isn't a place for you," Ayaka told her.

Ayame stopped after passing by who she thought was Kurosaki. She slouched over and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. That was the hardest, fastest, and longest she had ever run in her life. Her lungs felt like they could collapse. But, she endured the pain and stood up. "I want to know your name," she demanded.

"What?" Ayaka blinked in disbelief that this girl was oblivious to the Menos Grande lurching around.

Kurosaki - well, Kon, because at this time Ichigo was working with Ishida to get rid of the Menos - exclaimed, "Hey! There's two of you!"

He was ignored. Ayame repeated herself, "I want to know your name."

Ayaka grinded her teeth together before giving an answer. "Nakahara Ayaka. Why do you want to know?"

"Because... I'm Nakahara Ayame."

"This is getting interesting," Urahara interrupted. It was difficult to tell if he was talking about the fight against the Menos Grande he was watching, or if it was about the fact that Ayaka and Ayame had the same family name. Seconds before the Menos left, a red wave of energy was sucked up and then blast out from the Gillian's mouth. Everyone was stunned into silence when they witnessed the real Kurosaki hold back the Cero. Ayaka's breath caught in her throat when the Cero was returned to the Menos, slashing it from foot to shoulder. There was little damage done to it, but it retreated back into the rift. When it was gone, so were the other Hollows and the black rifts that tore the sky. The sky became blue again in a matter of seconds. Ayame could only stand and watch everything happened. What seemed to happen for almost an hour only lasted minutes after she came to the park. "You two should probably leave before you cause any more stress than there already is for those two," mentioned Urahara. "You two look like you have something to talk about. Ayaka, I'll give them a message back at the Soul Society. It should give you a day or two to sort things out."

Ayaka nodded. "Let's go, then," she told Ayame. Both of them headed out of the park. Once out of sight from the others, Ayaka stopped Ayame by taking her by the arm. "Before you say anything..." She could not finish what she was saying. The expression Ayame gave her made her rethink what she was going to say. Ayaka sighed, and then let go of Ayame. It was an awkwardly quiet walk. Ayame led the way to her grandparents' house. The silence between them felt heavier than the spiritual pressure from the Menos Grande. Ayame's grandfather's stare gave off an even more dangerous feeling when he answered the door.


	8. Author's Message

Hello, reader!

I know that it has been almost a week since I last updated the story, but I am at odds with myself about some things. First thing I would like to do is celebrate. Celebrate on getting 160 hits, with 60 visitors, on the story! I know it is no huge accomplishment, but that number is bigger than I expected. Second thing I would like to do is thank Gaia798! She has done a few things that have helped me, including submitting comments/reviews/whatever you want to call them. Which brings me to my third topic: reviews. _PLEASE_ _PLEASE_** _PLEASE!_** I have no clue how well I am doing. If there is something you think I should improve on (character development, grammar, details, et cetera) please tell me.

This fanfiction is really just for my amusement and a gateway back into non-fanfiction. I have always wanted to write a fanfiction because I always daydream about things that could happen in a particular scene and event in a popular fictional universe. But just because I am writing for myself does not mean I do not want or will ignore readers' constructive criticisms and ego-building comments. For the love of knowing how well I am doing as a writing, please leave a comment/constructive critique/review.

There are five free days coming up before I have to go back to school for a couple of weeks. During that time, I will be writing and posting more chapters up. I am not sure how well I have been doing, but I will continue to write this fanfiction.

Lots of Love,

Nonezumi

p.s. This message is not permanent, but I am not deleting it. Hopefully it will show future readers that I love getting reviews. Even after the fanfiction is completed.


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